Talking Youth Worlds and Olympics with New Zealand's Sam Meech

With the 2016 Aon Youth World Sailing Championships drawing closer, World Sailing takes the opportunity to catch up with some people who know a thing or two about the event and the host country of New Zealand.

As New Zealand’s Laser sailor, Sam Meech, stepped on to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games podium to collect his bronze medal, the happiness and relief of a four year journey was matched with a sense of national pride. For Meech though, it was the Youth Worlds that helped him on that Olympic journey and he is hoping that New Zealand can be the stepping stone for more young sailors to achieve future success.
 
World Sailing Press Officer, Richard Aspland, caught up with Meech to talk about his Youth Worlds and Olympic experience.
 
Richard: Thanks for taking some time out to speak to us Sam.
Sam: No problem at all.
 
R: So, tell me which Youth Worlds did you compete at?
S: I competed at the 2008 Youth Worlds in Aarhus, Denmark in the Laser full rig and then in the 2009 Youth Worlds in Buzios, Brazil in the Laser Radial.
 
R: How was your Youth Worlds experience?
S: I loved my time at both of the Youth Worlds I went to. It was so much fun meeting and racing sailors from all around the world. I finished third in 2008 and was lucky enough to race Pavlos Kontides (CYP) just before he went to the [London 2012] Olympics.
 
R: And how about 2009?
S: Well, the event moved into the Radial and I had to try to lose a bit of weight to squeeze into the class, but Buzios was one of the nicest places I have ever sailed and I was lucky enough to come away with a win the second time around.
 
R: What did you learn from sailing at the Youth Worlds?
S: Quite simply, I learnt a lot about how to prepare myself for big events.
 
R: Can you compare the Youth Worlds to the Olympics?
S: The Youth Worlds is like the Olympics with only one sailor per nation, so as I enjoyed the event so much I decided that I wanted to continue sailing the Laser to try to get to the Olympic Games. I guess the feel of the event made me more comfortable in the Olympic environment this year in Rio.
 
R: Tell me more about your Rio 2016 experience.
S: I really enjoyed the Olympics. While it is essentially the same as any of the other events we do the difference is that there is no ‘next event’ to move onto. You only get one shot every four years and that can add a lot of pressure.
 
R: How was the racing?
S: The racing was tough because of both the competitors and Rio as a sailing venue. I was really happy to have sailed a reasonably consistent series and to leave with a bronze medal.
 
R: And how did it feel to put on the kiwi kit at an Olympics?
S: It was amazing to represent New Zealand and before arriving I had really underestimated how good it would feel to be part of the NZ Olympic team.
 
R: Back to the Youth Worlds, would you have liked to have competed at home in New Zealand?
S: I am very jealous of the Kiwi sailors getting to race their Youth Worlds at home this year. It is an awesome opportunity for our team. Torbay will be a fantastic venue for the event, the sailing conditions in December should be great.
 
R: What advice would you give to any of the sailors competing this year, both from New Zealand and around the world?
S: The Youth Worlds were the most fun events I have ever been to so I would recommend all the competitors make the most of the atmosphere around the event. I hope everyone enjoys the New Zealand summer!
 
R: Thanks for that Sam. So will we see you in Auckland for the Youth Worlds.
S: Yeah, I’m hoping to get there to support the event and all the sailors.
 
R: Great. We will see you there.
  
The Aon Youth Sailing World Championships, the 46th edition, will take place from 14 to 20 December 2016 in Auckland New Zealand with more than 380 sailors from 66 nations sailing competing in more than 260 boats across nine disciplines.
 
Website – www.isafyouthworlds.com/home.php